07-03-2025
D'Wayne Wiggins, founding member of soul/R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, dies at 64
D'Wayne Wiggins, Oakland native and a founding member of the soul/R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! died Friday morning at age 64, the group announced on its Instagram page.
"With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D'Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones," the post's caption read. "Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer. Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community."
The Instagram account had posted on Wednesday before that Wiggins had been "experiencing medical complications" and was "working through it one day at a time."
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Wiggins was raised in East Oakland and attended Castlemont High School. Aside from his work with Tony! Toni! Toné!, Wiggins established his own recording studio in West Oakland called "House of Music." and is credited with discovering Destiny's Child, who would become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time and launch the career of Beyoncé. Wiggins also worked with other major best-selling artists such as Carlos Santana, Too Short, and Alicia Keys.
The popularity of Tony! Toni! Toné! peaked in the late 1980s to the mid-90s with the group originally composed of Wiggins, his brother Raphael Saadiq—born Charles Ray Wiggins—and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley.
The group rode the New Jack Swing wave of the era, which combined R&B, hip hop and jazz, melding in other styles including soul, funk, and gospel. The band's list of hits includes three on the Top 10 pop charts: "Feels Good" in 1990 and "Anniversary" and "If I Had No Loot" in 1993.
